Jawbone comes up with a completely new Bluetooth device.

Jawbone, the company that makes many different Bluetooth headsets has introduced their first product that isn't a headset. However it still involves sound and Bluetooth technology. It’s a small, high tech stereo speaker that connects to your phone, computer, PDA, etc. via Bluetooth. You can use it as a Bluetooth speakerphone or a way your tunes for everyone in the room. It's called Jambox, and Jawbone has jammed a lot of features into a little box. (But I assume the name refers to ‘jamming’, as in music!) The Jambox is small - 5.9″ by 2.2″ by 1.6″ - so it’s not pocket-sized unless you wear a Scottevest jacket! It comes in four ”copy-writer inspired colors” - Blue Wave, Black Diamond, Grey Hex and Red Dot. Once the internal battery is fully charged, the company says you should get up to eight hours of operation. Inside the enclosure are two powerful acoustic drivers and a moving passive-wall bass radiator for very decent sound considering its size. Jawbone claims that the JAMBOX is the only speaker in the world that gets smarter with time. It can be updated with apps, software and new features at the Jawbone online platform, MyTALK. Audio alerts include battery life, caller ID, call functions and more. JAMBOX can also be personalized with voice and language options. Leo expressed an interest in hearing this unit in person, so when he made a whirlwind trip to NY I brought it along when we met for dinner. He liked it a lot and it’s going to be part of the gear he takes on his three week foreign trip. The price is upscale too, $199.99. As it gets into the marketplace, I assume some discounting will be available. 

http://www.jawbone.com/product-jambox-overview 

See or hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw1274 

An iPhone case with a built in battery - that you can change quickly.

I don’t own an iPhone 4, (I do have the latest iPod Touch) but people who do own them and use them a lot, often seek out a case with a built in battery. Tekkeon has introduced a different kind of iPhone 4 case. Like all the others on the market, the myPower battery case separates into pieces. With other cases, the battery is always built into the bottom of the case and the top is a bezel that completes the case. But the folks at Tekkeon told me that had decided to make a different kind of iPhone 4 case. (Not to be confused with their earlier iPhone 3 leather case.) When you open the package of the myPower for the iPhone 4 you’ll still find a case in two sections. I knew this case would work with my iTouch 4, even though the it wouldn’t fit properly. So I docked my iPod Touch to the bottom section of the case which contains the 30 pin connector. I click the myPower switch to on – and – and nohing happened. Oh well, time to read the instructions. Opps, I see now! No wonder nothing happened. The bottom part contains the connector, but it’s the top piece that includes the battery! I clicked the top part on, connected the two together and flipped it on. Yes! Now it worked. But it works in a different way from  other charger/cases. When you switch it on, the Tekkeon myPower battery alone powers your iPhone 4. You’ll see the iPhone 4 power icon switch from battery to the AC symbol. It powers your phone without charging the internal battery. I asked the folks at Tekkeon why they took that approach and they said it was easier on your iPhone 4 battery not to be constantly charged, drained a bit, charged, etc. Their idea is to run your phone off the myPower battery knowing you still have all your iPhone 4 battery power. When the myPower battery dies, it automatically switches to the iPhone 4 built in battery. Another feature of the myPower is the ability to switch out the top battery section for a spare, assuming you bought one.  A second battery is only about 1/3 the cost of the entire kit. The myPower ion battery adds 1200 mAh to your iPhone 4. (A spare is priced at about $25) A 2200 mAH module will be available soon for about $10 more. But, of course, it will be thicker. If you like lights, the Tekkeon will disappoint you a little. Rather than a segmented battery level indicator, it uses a single light with two colors to indicate the amount of power left. Weighing in at only 1.84 oz (51.5 g) the myPower for iPhone 4 is almost undetectable from a plain old hard case without power. MSRP: $80. Discounts can be found by doing a web search.

 http://www.tekkeon.com/products-mypower-iphone-1280.html 

See or hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw1273 (If this link isn’t active, please check back in an hour or so.)

Home theatre for folks who want someone else to totally set-it up!

I was invited to Bose Mountain for the unveiling of a new product. All the great Bose PR people would tell me was: “It's something we have never produced before.” Well, that let out new headphones or speakers. I went for the demo. It seemed to a new surround-sound system, which sounded great, but they've made surround sound systems before. Even though the sound seemed to come from the sides and behind us, it turned out all the cloth covered speakers we saw, didn’t exist. Not even the subwoofer on the floor was real. But what we weren't expecting to hear was that out ALL the sounds, including the surround sound, were coming from within the 46” LCD TV! Yes, it's the VideoWave TV from Bose, their first complete TV system. The VideoWave consists of four pieces – the 46-inch 1080p LCD TV, a separate console connected by a proprietary Bose cable, an iPod dock, and a remote control. The TV weighs over 100 pounds because of all the goodies inside! There are 16 speakers, six subwoofers, and a lot of brand-new technology that sends high-frequency sound from the set to every corner of the room. You also get Bose AdaptIQ technology that adapts the sound to the acoustics of your living room. But wait, there’s more! The remote is incredibly simple, just like the remote that might have come with your very first TV. It has Power, Input, Channel Up/Down Volume Up/Down, Mute, and Back. But it also has a touch pad.  When you put your finger on the touch pad, the picture on the screen shrinks, and around it appears a rectangle menu with just the controls for the device you’re using. It can control up to five devices connected to the VideoWave system. All in all it’s amazing product. As you might expect, it’s not inexpensive. Before you guess the price you should know it includes “white glove” delivery and setup of all your components in your home. Only what’s your guess? It’s $5,349 and you won’t find it at any of the big box stores, just Bose retail outlets.

http://www.bose.com/controller?url=/shop_online/videowave/index.jsp

Hear or SEE a Netcast Leo & I did about this Bose TV: www.twit.tv/dgw1199

Add WiFi & a Router to a room just by plugging in these two units.

As I reported on Daily Giz Wiz 1243, www.twit.tv/dgw1243 I used the TV Orb to send video from my office to my apartment, which are back to back in a Manhattan brownstone. Basically I wanted to use my Roku box in my living room where there is no WiFi. Although the Orb worked with the doors open, the video was less than good with the doors closed. So I figured wired was the way to go. But I didn’t want to drill a hole through the wall for the cable, so I came up with another solution. Western Digital offers a gadget that lets you stream high-speed encrypted video and data wirelessly to connected devices via electric lines anywhere in the home.  It’s called the Livewire Powerline AV Network Kit. Belkin offers a similar solution, but I’ll tell you what Western Digital added to make it more convenient to share your WiFi.  The Livewire Powerline AV Kit features two adapters, one for the room where the WiFi source is, and one for the room where you want WiFi. While the Belkin unit offers an adaptor that handles a single WiFi line, each of the Western Digital units offer four ports that allow users to connect the router to seven Internet-enabled appliances. (One of the eight ports requires the WiFi in cable.) One WD adaptor plugs into an available electric outlet in each of the two rooms you’re connecting to create a high-speed network. (Western Digital says the system is capable of handling up to 200 Mbs - megabits per second). Installation is easy, but there is one warning you should pay attention to! Do not use these units with power strips or UPS units. They should be plugged directly in an AC outlet. When I was setting up the units I found the two required AC plugs, but I couldn’t see where they plugged in on the adapters. Then I realized the place the AC wire & plug go had a warning stickers covering the port. That warning was the one NOT to use extension cords, power strips, etc. Of course I had to see if that was true, and it was. It doesn’t work. But when connected as instructed, they work fine. A green LED light on each unit lights to let you know they’re connected. Now I can watch Netflix on my HDTV via the Roku box using the WiFi that’s in my office! Works perfectly. The Livewire Powerline AV Network Kit lists for $139.99, but if you do a web search you can find them right around the $100 mark.

http://wdc.com/en/products/products.aspx?id=310

SEE or hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw1256 

A high quality mini-speaker system at an affordable low price.

At CES quite a few manufacturers introduced portable speaker systems as more and more people carry their music files with them. At Show Stoppers, Pure Acoustics launched their own wireless, ultra-portable speaker: the HipBox. (Pure Acoustics is known for building high-end speaker systems and this certainly is their smallest entry ever!) The HipBox is a smart looking, pleasant sounding and ultra-portable speaker. You can connect the HipBox to any device, from smartphones to iPads and iPhones, and of course, any mp3 player via the headphone jack. With dual inputs, it can even play music or podcasts stored on USB flash drives or SD cards. The HipBox weighs less than nine ounces, so you can share your music and podcasts (know of any good podcasts??) anywhere: at home, the park, the beach, etc. This gizmo would also be good as a speaker for laptops or desktop PC’s. The company says the built-in lithium-ion rechargeable battery can also be used to recharge a dead smart phone if necessary. Fully charged, it offers about four hours of portable playtime. At the show, I saw two models. One had an FM radio and a small LCD screen that displayed the radio station frequencies. The other model, without FM, had slightly larger speakers and to my ear, sounded better. On the company website they only show the unit without FM. For now maybe they decided to just go with the one that sounds better. HipBox is available in four designer colors and retails at an affordable $39.95. 

www.myhipbox.com 

SEE or hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw1265